One member of the Pentagon staff in Iraq was a yarmulke-wearing researcher of Islam named Harold Rhode. He immediately recognized the historical value of the find and how important it was to save it, so he contacted the White House and received permission from Vice President Dick Cheney to ship the items to the United States, to the National Archives. Once the artifacts were preserved, the decision was made to exhibit them. When I went to see the exhibition, the photo of the young couple at their wedding ceremony, surrounded by their excited family, immediately caught my eye.

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